Smitty's

Time to review my first chain. Not every eggs Benedict can come from a local establishment, and I would speculate that some chains have their eggs benny perfected. So I went to Smitty's to give them a shot. Now, Smitty's is another establishment where you can get breakfast all day - so if you're in the mood for eggs Benedict on a rainy Thursday evening, you can head to Smitty's. They have more than one option for eggs benny on the menu, and I won't lie, I was tempted to order the 'Clubhouse Eggs Benedict,' which comes with turkey, bacon, and a slice of tomato, topped with a poached egg and hollandase, but for the sake of consistency, I just ordered the regular eggs benny.

The order came out quickly, and the plate was quite full! Only $12.49 for eggs benny and what I would describe as a mountain of hashbrowns. The hollandase was very creamy and tasted great, although it did appear to be breaking slightly - maybe the butter was left a fraction too long. My eggs were poached correctly (phew), and that ham was shaved, so it was refreshing to see something other than a hamsteak. That being said, it was a tad salty, and by the end of the meal, I was craving some water! Not to be outdone by the eggs, the hashbrowns were fantastic, crispy and not over seasoned. 

Was the hollandase made from scratch? Probably not, I am eating at a chain folks. Was it good? Yes. It was a bit salty, but paired with the delicious hashbrowns and good price, I can't complain!

Smitty's, you did well, here's a 3/5. 

The Guv'nor

Ah. The Guv'nor. One of my favourite places to go in St. John's. Great for a TGIF, lunch with coworkers, or dinner with friends. Do you know what else is amazing? You can get breakfast all day, which means eggs benny in the morning, afternoon and evening! Really though, anyone in St. John's who has not been to The Guv'nor, you should probably check it out - English pub grub, selection of beer on tap - it's great! But I digress.

Eggs Benedict at The Guv'nor. Not bad. I have a sneaky suspicion that the hollandase sauce is from a package of some sort, as every time I have it, it's very consistent and takes no time to arrive on the table. While you may be sad it's not made from scratch, at least it's yellow and creamy! It was a really nice sized portion, and at only $12.50, you are quite satisfied with the plate before you! The eggs were poached soft and with each serving getting a hamsteak cut in half, it was quite a good meal. Here comes the criticism though. While I enjoy the eggs benny, the hashbrowns were over seasoned. Ordinarily, I'm a fan of the seasoning salt, however there was so much on these hashbrowns that the hollandase was turning orange, and my overall eggs benny experience was impacted. I could not get the seasoning salt taste out of my mouth - too much!

Nonetheless, I have to say, it was enjoyable eggs benny. As I said before, The Guv'nor is pretty consistent, and if you ever have a craving for late night eggs Benedict, The Guv'nor is the place to go! I will definitely be going to The Guv'nor again for eggs Benedict, or a moose burger, or chicken fingers. Maybe next time, I'll ask for less (or no) seasoning salt on my hashbrowns! 

The Guv'nor I give you a 2.5/5 (sorry folks, I'm a hard marker).

Gypsy Tea Room

I was really looking forward to eggs benny at The Gypsy Tea Room. They are one of my favourite places to go for cocktails, and I enjoy their bar menu, so I naturally thought their eggs benny during Saturday brunch would be amazing.


The service was great, as usual, I find staff there are always pleasant. I promptly received my coffee, and ordered my eggs benny. My brunch companion and I received our order in a reasonable amount of time. As the waiter approached, I was disappointed that I forgot to order my usual side of hollandase for dipping my hashbrowns; however I decided it wasn't a loss at my first glimpse of the plate. The hollandase sauce was very light in color, it almost blended in with the egg! The side fruit salad was okay, but it was mostly cantaloupe and honeydew melon, I think I may have gotten one or two small pieces of pineapple as well.  The hashbrowns were probably the highlight of the plate, which is sad for an eggs benny lover. I couldn't wait to cut into my poached soft eggs, hoping the richness of the yolk would compensate for the lack of richness in the hollandase; but I was disappointed again. My eggs were poached hard. Not a drop of delicious yolk spilled out. This was not what I was expecting. The hollandase had a stronger lemony taste than I prefer, and it was almost resembling a mayonnaise in texture. I guess on the bright side, I know it was made in house and not from a pre-packaged mix.

Will I go back to The Gypsy Tea Room again? Of course.

Will I try eggs benny? I don't know, maybe after some time has passed...right now, I'm just too sad.

The Gypsy Tea Room, I'm giving your eggs benny a 2/5.